It's Iris Season...

A perennial garden has a cycle that usually lasts about two weeks...

In my flower beds, the large irises are beginning to emerge...

I have three sizes of irises... Soon the others should begin to bloom too.

I think flowers are blooming later this year than normal because we had a late spring.

New Way to Celebrate Family Birthdays

Our family has a lot of summer birthdays. We may not be able to be together this year for many - or any...

But technology - thankfully - helps us hang out together in a different way...

This is a picture taken during our granddaughter's April birthday "get together" - thanks to "What's App" - a free app that works on android phones or iphones, allowing multiple people to share a screen and communicate at the same time.

Almonte's Mississippi River in Early June

Terry and I recently drove to Almonte - to enjoy the view of the river.

We took the bike path across the river...

It was originally a railway bridge.

Then, past the old flour mill...

There was less water flowing over the waterfall than when we were last here a month ago.

I noticed that someone who lives - or works - near the dam likes to decorate with flowers...

Where we live, I wouldn't dare do that!

The wind is so strong on our street that the pots would get knocked down!

After our little walk, we paused to admire the rushing water from the bridge...

Then back to our car - for a pleasant country ride home!

Re-evaluating an Old Knitting Project...

I often knit garments that I don't like in the end... But occasionally - very occasionally - something I knit turns out better than I expected!

This was the case with a striped poncho I knit - then sewed into a sweater.

I wear it a lot.

After washing it recently - I realized that the two sides were uneven... The left side is about 4 inches longer than the right.

(But when I wear it, the asymmetry is not really noticeable.)



Trying to remember how this irregularity happened, I vaguely remember wondering whether to follow the pattern of the stripes - or the measuring tape. The results would be different, depending on what I chose.

At the time, I decided to go with the color of the stripes, even if both sides weren't the same length...

But now I wondered - should I change it?! Add on, perhaps? Would it be worth the effort...? I've been wearing it like this for a few years!

I decided to check and see if I have any more leftover yarn in that color. I then discovered similar yarn in another color...

That's when I decided to spend my time knitting a second identical jacket instead...!!

College Discovery

We have lived near Algonquin College for years. In that time, there have been a lot of changes on campus. Now that summer is here, my daily walks occasionally take me through the college grounds.

It's quiet there these days, with the college closed due to Covid.

Rather than simply walking around the parking lot, I've begun climbing up and down the little berms that provide a barrier between the campus and the neighboring houses.

They're the closest things to hills around!

Walking to the edge of one of them, I discovered a man-made cliff overlooking a pond!

It was a shock to find something I'd never seen before... I was sure  that, over the years, I've wandered around everywhere!

I guess they're always re-configuring, not only the buildings but also the campus grounds!

Graduation Memory

After many years in social work, Terry was feeling “burned out.”

Take some courses for a change of pace, I suggested.

So he did - and eventually he even graduated with another degree.

He didn’t really want to, but I insisted he attend his graduation ceremony. We’d all go!

If not for yourself, you have to do it for the children - to motivate them, I told him.

So he did!

When he went up to get his diploma, one of the kids called out: Way to go, Dad!

That is another memory that we, as a family, will never forget!

Isolation Activity

My brother and his wife - who live in Texas - retired about six months before the current COVID-19  pandemic began.

Before they retired, I wondered if they would be bored in retirement. Both like to keep busy...

One of the ways they spend time indoors is by doing jigsaw puzzles together. Not long ago, he sent me a photo of their latest completed creation... (I wonder how many pieces it has...)

I haven't done a puzzle in years - but maybe that's something that I should try, too!